Venator Ventures Blog

Revisiting the Cave...

2010-03-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I purposefully have held out from writing anything new with the intent in being able to see how 2010 has started. So far and in short, 2010 seems to be opening up well. Here's why:

We moved into our new office building built specifically for our unique recruiting practice. It's offered a optimism among our team that hasn't been felt for some time and as such, productivity is up.
We've been more focused as a recruiting firm. Less distractions that come from a variety of sources--recruiting or otherwise.
We're collaborating more and working better amongst our team better.
More jobs are being worked on. We haven't had this many jobs to work on since early 2008.
More placements are being made. We're a contingency and retained search firm and our placement ratio is up which means we're working with good candidates and companies that know how to hire.
Bottom line: revenue is up.

As the first quarter draws to a close I look back on my comments on the "Allegory of the Cave" that I made in December. I commented that being interactive was going to be the hall mark of 2010 and the future of business and that by doing this people and business would free themselves from the cave.

The first three months at our firm has been about doing the above--being connected with others, both candidates and companies, and by so doing we have been in touch with what is really going on in the recruiting world for our industry. And as time has moved along our vision has adjusted to what 2010 really is going to look like.

Although the vision might still be bit hazy we are optimistic and looking forward to working with similarly positive people. If you have an opinion on the state of 2010, please feel free to leave us your comments.

If not, please let us know what we can do to help you and your family do to make 2010 a brighter and more optimistic year.

Venator 2K10 Markdown

2010-01-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hope you all a great holiday and have started the New Year off right!

We started our first marketing campaign for the New Year: the 2K10 Markdown. It's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek play on recruiters being like used car salesmen and how we are viewed as less than savory.

Despite the fact that we know we provide a valuable and important service to companies, there are many recruiters that have given our profession a bit of a black eye. My gut feeling is that those recruiters haven't survived the past 18 months of a recruiting down turn. They're probably off selling used cars or something.

With this new campaign we want to offer our current and future clients unheard of flat recruiting fees for the month of January. It might be a bit cheesy, but we thought it was memorable and hopefully shows we are committed to our clients needs and their financial costs per hire.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us.

Looking forward to a stronger 2010 and we hope this new program will help our clients get their new hiring started off on the right foot.

Plato's Cave and 2009

2009-12-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's been some time since I've posted here. Truth be told, it's been a somewhat turbulent year. Obviously, the economy hasn't helped many recruiting firms out. But we've been very blessed to have a solid group of recruiters who are committed to the cause and have battled their way through these tough times.

But just as we've been forced to battle this entire for every dollar this company has earned, I look back on more important issues like the effect we have on the companies we work with, how we interact with them and most of all, how we've affected the lives of the candidates we've placed this year.

I studied the very the lucrative degree of philosophy while I was in college (much to the chagrin of my in-laws). One allegory learned by just about every liberal arts student and definitely every philosophy major, is the Allegory of the Cave.

A brief synopsis puts a set of people bound inside a cave for their whole lives, while viewing shadows of cut-out shapes that are being cast on a far wall via a fire that is behind them. That's all these people see, that's all these people do and and that's all these people know.

This allegory was Plato's effort to demonstrate various levels of "truth" and "reality." Many have dissected this tale and demonstrated various theories based on Plato's arguments.

This allegory, I feel, offers a great insight on what 2009 has been and what 2010 can possibly become.

During the last number of months we've noticed an awakening of companies to their own senses. They are more aware now of the business landscape around them than they ever have before.

How is this so? Well, without making some laborious philosophical argument, they've freed themselves from the "cave." What does this mean? This means that the world, i.e., their world of business that they reside in, has become "real" to them. They are no longer seeing the shadowy images inside the cave. They are standing in the light of day and can thus, see what really is happening around them.

How did this happen? Their predicament started during the inflated years of economic success (as it always seems to do). Life is always great when you're making money. Few rarely see the stumbling blocks in front of them on their path to success when reaching to grab the dollar bills littered around their feet.

This myopia then led to the protracted landscape of the "cave." We began, especially in the worlds of finance, real estate, mortgages and even technology to think that the business world we lived in was "normal."

An example in the technology sector would be Palm. When they failed to realize that users wanted mobile voice and data coming from the same device they immediately let other would-be solutions take their market share--You ever heard of Apple or Blackberry? As such, since 2005 Palm has steadily declined, with a recent attempt at resurrection via their Pre, and now sit trading at less $12 today. A number which is markedly down from 2000's high of $669.

Why the failure? Palm believed that their products solved the consumers' problems as they were. But what Palm was missing was the empirical information that "being out of the cave" can offer. In other words, they weren't seeing the world as it "really" was--and in this case, missed a huge opportunity to be long-standing leader in mobile voice, data and media consumption.

What 2009 has done for our partner companies is to open their eyes to the world around them. With money for most, if not all, of our clients being a precious commodity, they now are forced to strip off the blinders and free themselves from the cave. They have been forced to try to see what really is going on.

In most cases the transition from the darkness of the cave, and it's scant firelight, to broad daylight, has been an adjustment. But just like going to a matinee movie where you walk outside and are forced to squint hardily without cringing in blindness, your eyes eventually adjust and you soon can see normally.

So to, these companies who have been forced to free themselves from the cave are now fully aware of what has happened over the last 2 years and beyond. They know what they were experiencing wasn't "real," but was simply contrived allusions that were aimed to satisfy our senses in business context.

Sales and marketing are driving this campaign at most companies we see, with engineering also getting in on the action. All parties are looking to find what truly lays at the root of the modern consumers' needs.

One strong example of this recessionary reawakening, as I call it, has been Twitter. Who ever thought 140 characters would offer millions, if not billions, a slice of what is really going on in the world around us?

Not only is the solution functional when talking about reality, but the purpose behind Twitter derives from understanding what people really want and need--connection. They want to communicate and discuss and they want to correspond and correlate. Twitter offers them this in an easy to digest format.

Some might say today's generation doesn't interact anymore, but given the technology available there's more interaction in the world today then there ever has been in the history of the world. And to think about the possibilities of what the world "really" is because of those countless interactions is near daunting to fathom.

Now, I'm not going to Tweet my grandma or offer a status update asking my girlfriend to marry me (although I wouldn't be surprised if that's already happened). But in a business world where information is king, how interesting is it that 140 characters has offered enlightenment to millions on who, what, why and how the world is in reality.

So as we look back on 2009, it might be worth your time to ask yourself, am I seeing the world as it really is? Or am I simply seeing the shadows on the wall in the cave? Can I open myself to the world around me and connect? Can I free myself from the cave?

You might not like the things you see upon first setting foot outside the cave, but as your eyes adjust, you'll see the path that lays at your feet which leads to success. Only when we are taking the time to see the world as it is can we assess our options and make plans that actually impact lives for the better.

Tools to help see the world as it "really" is can be marketing strategies, a sales training, a motivational speech. They might be religion, academia, a heated discussion with a co-worker or simply taking time to volunteer for a local charity. They could be saying hello to that guy in the office that never says hi to you even though you've walked past him 1,000 times in the last year. Or they could be truly listening to a junior subordinate and realizing that she really does have a good idea for the new product launch.

Either way, each instance above begins with you asking the corporate ethereal question: "What is real?" And more often than you'll end up asking the follow up question: "What is really important?" From there, I believe the world of business opens up to a view far greater than anything we could imagine while inside the walls of the cave.

This view gives us optimism in 2010. This view is composed of a worldwide connectivity between people and information and vice versa. And this view is composed of connectivity between one person and another person using technology as one of the main mediums for interaction, despite the grumblings of older generations.

Because of this new found awareness I believe 2010 is going to be a year of "real" growth. Businesses will be leaner, meaner and more adept at reclaiming lost ground. And many will be able to avoid the stumbling blocks that lay at their feet.

I look forward to 2010 and am glad that I've learned the lessons that I did in 2009. It's made me a better person, a better husband and father and it's helped me be a better businessman. I see things a little clearer now that I'm thankfully standing out of the cave.

I hope to remain as such and hope the same for you and your businesses alike. If we do so, then the world will be a much more enjoyable and successful enterprise.

Happy holidays to you and yours. See you in 2010!

Acing the Job Interview: Be Influenced

2009-06-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Tony Beshara recently published a book aiming to assist candidates to do well in their respective interviews ("Acing the Interview", Amacon 2008, 288 pages). I gave it a quick read, since books like that, to be quite frank, don't keep my attention as best as others.

But I wanted to compare what he thought were the keys to candidate's interview success versus what we espouse here at Venator. And in truth I was largely impressed with his advice and critique of the interview process both from a company and candidate perspective.

To summarize some of Beshara's major points he mentioned that a job search in hugely stressful, candidates need to do as many interviews as they can to practice, anticipate questions you will be asked and prepare accordingly and lastly don't think that a job interview is a conversation between equals--you need to sell and prove yourself before you can think that.

But one thing stood out throughout the pages: a candidate's likeability is more important than your qualifications.

I couldn't agree with this more. Why? Don't you have to have basic necessary skills to be able to do the job? Won't a company not look at candidates that meet basic job requirements first?

The answer to both is yes, but that still doesn't get you hired. The end all of any interview process is likeability.

I was listening to a Stephen R. Covey talk (yes, I do "sharpen the saw" every now and then) on my way into work today and he mentioned something in context of helping people with what he calls their own "self affirmation" that holds true to the interview process I think.

He said, "To influence you must be influenced."

When a candidate is sitting in the interview chair and he or she knows that they have the skills to do the job the candidate will often make the mistake to "brag" about their abilities and will oversell their strengths ad naseum.

If a person is to eventually get the job they believe they are so good for likeability will be the determining factor and he or she will achieve that "likeability," as Beshara calls it, by doing what Covey describes as the key to influence: being influenced first.

How does one be influenced in the interview process? Maybe an example is required to answer this question.

Jane is a strong VP of Marketing candidate that is interviewing for another similar role with a strong and viable company. She's very capable, studied at Wharton and Stanford and has an extensively impressive track record at each of her prior companies.

In a final lunch meeting with the CEO of the hiring company it's her goal to get the CEO to commit to offer the job and begin the compensation negotiation phase.

In doing so begins to wax eloquent about her range of skills, her track record, her abilities to lead and motivate as well as her desire to get the job. In most cases this would seem normal, as many say in the interview process that a person has "close the deal" in such circumstances.

But the "be influenced" model that Covey would consult would say she's asserting herself a little strongly and I would agree with this perspective.

What I believe Covey would recommend is that she first seek to understand the CEO's hiring goals, plans and concerns if any. Allow the CEO to lay out his or her concepts on what is important for the role and also ask what will make this role most successful individually and in context of the company at large.

Another phrase useful here would be: "Seek first to understand before being understood."

Instead of opening up her impressive resume in front of the CEO at the outset Jane needs to be first "influenced" by the CEO. She needs to learn what the CEO will ask of her in this role and what she can do to help him be successful. By so doing, she's affirming his role as CEO and her manager while also showing genuine intelligent interest in the job opportunity--both keys to likeability.

If she does this first, don't you think she'll have an even better position to discuss her vast array of skills from?

To influence, Jane must first be influenced in the interview process. In my experience, this is how one gains Beshara's likeability and eventually, this is how a person will get the job they are after.

Blogging & Building

2009-04-07T14:43:00.001-07:00

You'll have to forgive us because we haven't blogged in a while, but we've sort of been busy. We figure that those companies that are busy blogging aren't actually doing what their business is...unless of course you blog for a living.

In our case, we blog to keep in touch with you all, but we've been hard at work trying to help our companies and the people we work with. So again, please forgive us if we haven't updated you lately.

But given our recent string of placements, things seem to be going well and we're optimistic that people can still do well in the recruiting world if they work hard.

We went by the new Venator Ventures headquarters building site today and were very excited about the progress. It seems like just yesterday we were looking over the front elevations for the building and deciding on minor floor plan changes.

But the contractor has been true to form and has rushed things ahead of schedule to where the building now stands almost completely framed out.

Today we were able to walk through the almost-completely-framed interior. Walking through we started to discuss which teams would be in which offices and how to make sure our high tech recruiting firm is as high tech as can be for our line of work.

We anticipate completing the office in the late fall of this year and with the move be able to increase productivity and attract higher level talent as we grow in the coming years.

Not many boutique recruiting firms such as Venator Ventures think of a brick and mortor home to be crucial, but given our business plan and brand of recruiting we believe we can't succeed unless we have our own home where we can develop and grow the Venator Ventures company identity.

In this way we become better able to serve the people and companies that we work with. In the end its all about the relationships we have and being able to service those relationships better by being the best recruiting firm we can be. We'll offer some more updates in the coming months.

The Recession I s Over

2009-03-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you all heard, but the recession is over.

Well, not really, but I thought it might cheer some of you up to hear someone say that. 340+ points in one day on the DOW is fun to see, but it would nice to see those gains every day over a fortnight.

Now that I have your attention, I wanted to give you an update on Venator, the merger with Momentum Search and some recent news.

Thus far the alliance of Venator with Momentum has proved to be a smart call. Both teams are working well together and many of our candidates and companies are seeing positive results.

In fact, just yesterday we were able to set up a dozen first interviews with a dozen different companies and a dozen different candidates. For an economy that is facing some of its worst moments the work ethic and experience of both Momentum and Venator seems to be aptly offering candidates and companies alike value.

We'll be doing all we can to help you and any of your friends find the role that will get them back on their feet.

Bottom line, we're not going anywhere and we are seeing success in spite of the economic situation.

Give us a call if you have any questions and if we can help you out in any way.

Merger Update...

2009-02-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

For those who have been losing sleep over how the merger is coming with Venator Ventures and Momentum Search, we wanted to try and help you get some sleep.

With the relative inactivity in the market, the merger has actually turned out a number of new and exciting opportunities that we've been able to work on and represent. In other words, the more people in the office working together towards the same goals has turned out to be very productive.

We are seeing more companies still looking despite the down economy and we're seeing a lot of strong candidates that are trying to keep their eyes open in case something goes wrong at their current company.

All in all, with more hands on the job here at Venator we're seeing a lot of things going on in the job market.

Plus, the other guys from Momentum are actually good guys and do a great job at what they do, so it makes for a "funner" work environment.

Hopefully you'll be able to sleep now...because we know it was keeping you all up at night...;-)

Venator Ventures Merges w/ Momentum Search

2009-01-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2009

San Bruno, CA--Venator Ventures is excited to announce the merger of two recruiting forces in Momentum Search and Venator Ventures, effective immediately.

After months of deliberations and meetings executives from each company felt an alliance between the two firms will benefit the companies long term outlooks and clients they each serve.

Momentum Search is a technology recruiting firm focused, like Venator Ventures, on the Bay Area of Northern California. Momentum has operated since 2004 and has been highly successful in placing candidates in numerous publicly-traded and privately-held companies.

While Venator's areas of expertise range in largely sales and marketing professionals for high tech companies, Momentum's expertise largely falls within the array of engineering and finance professionals.

With the merger and by joining the specialized expertises the new company, which will maintain the Venator Ventures name, will be able to serve the needs of any company and client in the high tech space with ease. The combined company will have the strength and reach of any large firm while maintaining the boutique service that both companies have been known for.

With both companies using similar business models the team recruiting approach employed by all staff at the new Venator Ventures will increase coverage for both candidates and companies and such the effectiveness of the recruiting efforts in all will be increased.

Venator Ventures and Momentum Search look forward to uniting their efforts and offering a stronger and more able company that will help both candidates and companies find what they are looking for.

If there are any questions, please forward those on to Managing Principal Recruiter, Kimball Kjar at Venator Ventures at kimball@venatorventures.com or Co-Owner and Principal, Greg Olson at Momentum Search at greg@momentumsearch.com.

Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Here are the top ten according to Albrecht Powell, About.com

1. Spend more time with family and friends
2. Fit in fitness
3. Tame the bulge
4. Quit smoking
5. Enjoy life more
6. Quit drinking
7. Get out of debt
8. Learn something new
9. Help others
10. Get organized

I hope everyone is off to a good start with their New Year's Resolutions. Remember to approach each goal one day at a time. It's all about baby steps, while keeping the end goal locked in your sights.

I'm sure there are a few of us out there that are looking for a new job/career as part of their New Year's Resolutions. To all those people I would like to offer a few words of wisdom:

1. Take a close look at your resume
Do not under estimate what a well written resume can do for you. Your resume is your chance to make a great first impression. Make sure you spend some serious time making your resume as good as it can be. Please refer to the post on November 19th for tips on how to write a quality resume.

2. Make a few trusted recruiters your best friend
This is especially valuable if you are passively looking and do not want your current employer to get wind of your wandering eyes. A good recruiter can get your information out to potential hiring managers in a discreet and effective way.

Also, recruiters are usually only good for presenting opportunities for companies they are actively searching for. I would suggest you take this one step further and find out if your recruiter has contacts in companies you have hunted down yourself. Submitting a resume to HR can be less than effective and your resume may or may not be seen by the correct hiring manager. Let your recruiter use their network to get your resume directly in front of the decision maker.

3. Over prepare for your interview
Hiring managers always love when a candidate has done their homework. Being prepared aids you in your ability to articulate your value add and should be an overall confidence booster. For more tips on interviewing please refer the post on November 19th.

I wish everyone the best of luck this 2009!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

To all our client companies and top-notch candidates, we say thank you again for the chance to work with you and look forward to a great 2009.

Here's to wishing you a very merry Christmas and a special New Year!

From all of us at Venator Ventures!

Building a Building

2008-12-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

Kimball Kjar
Venator Ventures
Managing Principal Recruiter

Today was an eventful day for Venator Ventures: we broke ground on our new office building.

Not that this event made much mention in the Wall Street Journal or even our local newpaper for that matter, but this ground breaking is important for us and has major implications on the type of service we will be able to provide.

Although the building, by relative standards, is not huge, the facility is an important milestone in our growth and development as a company.

Many of you may not notice the difference directly in our effectiveness, but with the forthcoming construction of our new office building Venator Ventures will be able to expand, train and better attract top recruiting talent.

With the challenging times coming in 2009 the ground breaking was a symbolic event for our staff to remember our purpose: offer candidates and companies reliable recruiting services by building strong relationships of trust.

With new board rooms, sales areas, management offices, training areas and top tier technology infrastructure our new building will allow our recruiting staff to be the best they can possibly be for your various respective search needs.

We look forward to watching this building rise and being able to help you all in 2009.

Relationships and a Down Economy

2008-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Kimball Kjar
Venator Ventures
Managing Principal Recruiter

I will be brief with this entry, since the last two have be a bit laborious to read. But I think it needs saying, and please don't excuse how important I believe in this subject by my brevity, that relationships determine how a person or company will make it through this recession.

It's not just a strong marketing plan or strong sales results, but it's relationships with the colleagues that you work with and those people that that are your clients that will lead to success in times such as these.

Firstly, I said the "R" word a paragraph above, so there it is. Now you can either cringe and shrink like some or stand up to the situation at hand and face the oncoming months of bad news and struggle with optimism and resolve. But no matter your reaction the key to not only survive, but thrive, in a down economy I believe is how you treat other people and companies that you work with.

My colleague and I, Justen Nadauld, will be traveling next week to visit in person with a number of our clients. We like to do this often, but we recognized that these face to face sessions are even more critical in tough economic times.

And it's our hope that such "non-sales calls" will show that we value their business and that they will value the services we provide. So as a result when the wallets get thin but they need to hire a person they will look to us first, because they know we are going to provide value and more importantly be there for them no matter what.

And who knows, if the relationship is strong it might be us calling on them when things are tight because we know that they can be there for us conversely.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself saw one of this country's worst economic periods, said:

"Today we are faced with the preeminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world, at peace.”

Roosevelt knew that when trouble knocks on your door, it's nice to know that there is someone else besides yourself supporting you.

I won't get analytical in regards to this assumption, but in any form of human relationship, and business falls within this genus, people are more likely to overcome challenges together than by themselves.

So in other words, if things are getting dicey for you and your company right now and you see the dark clouds of the economy starting to form over your head, you need to connect with others who can help you so as to not leave yourself out in the storm that is gathering above you.

Roosevelt also left us with another famous quote at his innauguration that implies strong human connections in times of trouble: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Don't fear the world around you and don't fear standing strong as the economic storms rage around you because you have others there standing with you and around you. That's what friends do in life and in business and if your business is to succeed in spite of your respective set of circumstances, then I suggest you surround yourself with people that support you and your efforts.

I know this is a pretty generalized thought and somewhat altruistis without more academic support, but let me again say that I felt it was worth mentioning especially since we're coming to visit with a number of the people we do business with. We want them to know that we're here for them and we hope that they will feel likewise.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in the coming days.

Perceptions & Job Satisfaction

2008-12-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Kimball Kjar
Managing Principal Recruiter
Venator Ventures

Job satisfaction. What is it? What makes a person like this job or that job? It’s not an easy answer for anyone and there have been numerous studies performed that try to definitively show what things a company should or shouldn’t do to ensure that they have “happy” employees. Because, as these reports assume, when the employee is happy, then the company will fair well.

In my career as a recruiter I’ve seen all sides of the employee job satisfaction array—from blissfully happy to vindictively upset. And throughout each instance there is one under lying reason as to an employee’s satisfaction: salary.

Now, you might say as a recruiter, my opinion is skewed since in most instances my commission is tied to salary. But hear me out and you’ll see what you and your company can do to improve job satisfaction via increased salary and that by so doing decrease the company’s hiring and other related “soft” costs.

A recent study showed that an employee’s salary is tied to job satisfaction in 1 out of 2 cases. But this survey also shows that salary is the real culprit less than 25% of the time. How can this be?—Perceptions.

We’ve heard the phrase “perception is reality” and in the world of recruiting and hiring it’s an even more elevated truth—it’s gospel. One example of misaligned perceptions is given in the above mentioned study. “Over-titling” gives people a false sense of reality and responsibilities and as such, leads to the feeling that the employee isn’t paid enough for his or her role within a company. An employee’s perception is greater than what is in fact reality.

As employers it’s unlikely that we ever fully comprehend the thoughts and intentions of our employees in spite of our best trained senses and abilities. And as such, every individual is left to his or her own internal dialogue to determine their state of being.

But when it comes to job satisfaction it’s not just “over-titling” that leads me to believe that this misalignment of perceptions is the root of the problem. It starts long before a candidate is ever hired, during the interview process.

If a company hires on a candidate after a fully vetting process of interviews from peers to the executive team, properly performed background and reference checks, then that company should feel like they’re done all that they need to do, right? WRONG!

They’ve neglected on major step: the offer package.

This stage of the process is often overlooked on account of numerous reasons which include budget constraints, personal interest, company HR standards, etc. Most companies will say that they are “set in stone” on what they can offer a person in terms of salary. By doing so, the company feels like they are offering “market standards” for the candidate and in some instances that the candidate should feel lucky to be even getting a new job.

This line of thinking is usually left to the companies that are having a hard time finding the best talent and also keeping them over the long run. Why? Perceptions.

It all comes back to perceptions. No matter how well a company brands itself or even sells itself to a candidate, the perception implied in the offer-making process to the candidate by the company is: “What is the perceived value of this commodity (aka the candidate)?” And if the candidate feels like they’ve given up more than their fair share, it stays with them for the duration of their employment at the company.

Another saying comes to mind—“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” And it’s no more true than during the offer-making process of hiring a candidate. If they feel their first impression of their soon-to-be employer is one where they feel unappreciated and under-valued, then that will stay with that employee for a long time.

The crux of this topic is that when times get tough, and they’re tough for more than our fair share of companies right now, any excuse that an employee has to walk out on their employer is accentuated when he or she feels that they are not valued according to what they feel they should be.

Most candidates and companies I work with have been very good about realizing that you don’t always get everything that you ask for during the offer stage. But the successful companies that I perceive to have great employee job satisfaction rates usually are the ones that go out of their way to make the candidates feel valued, appreciated and in some cases loved.

Fortune Magazine recently listed Bay Area stalwart Google as the best place to work. Among other reasons of open communication between manager and employees, team building activities, and such Google’s equity plan is offered to 99% of all the 12,000+ employees. And with the stock having cracked $700 a share it’s easy to see why there’s a term “Google-aires” running rampant in the Bay Area. It’s also widely known that Google’s compensation ranges average as some of the highest in Silicon Valley, but the company didn’t disclose this data to Fortune.

It’s also of note that in the same study by Fortune Cisco and Network Appliance showed the 12th & 13th respectively highest average salaries in the country for employees and that both held the highest average salaries for tech companies behind leading financial, petroleum and legal companies. It’s also worth noting that Cisco and NetApp both rank as 6th and 14th respectively on the overall list of “100 Best of Companies” to work for nationally.

Those company’s that don’t financially compensate the employees well usually are tied by CFO regulations on what they can “actually” spend and don’t have an environment to do what it takes to care for their employees overall. Trust me, I’ve seen it over and over. Companies who are pinching pennies, usually have high turn over rates. But you can still be fiscally responsible while also leaving yourself open to finding and hiring the best talent.

The costs of not looking to financially “well compensate” employees is given in the above cited study. It cited that “HR professionals estimate that the hard costs to replace an employee ranges between 33% and 50% of their base salary, in addition to soft costs such as the loss of productivity and institutional knowledge, as well as new hire recruiting and training expenses.” Isn’t an extra $5-10k given to the candidate during the offer stage worth it in this light?

So what are some solutions to this perceptions gap? I would contribute the following:

1. Pay an extra share of money for the candidate to feel like he or she is valued—give them what they want (within reason).
2. Don’t balk at counter-offers. If a candidate has been looking else where, don’t kick them out, but ask yourself why this person felt the need to look around. This could help hiring and retention processes in the long run and possibly reveal fatal flaws in your company’s human resource strategies. Plus, the cost of finding someone else to fill a vacated role can be prohibitive in the long run as opposed to offering a competitive counter-offer.
3. Work to bump pay at least 10% each year while offering performance based bonuses and equity grants.
4. Work with an experienced recruiter who understands this perception dilemma. Often, a recruiter can manage the candidate to ensure that he or she is “blissfully happy” about the offer and job opportunity.
5. Educate current employees, tactfully via HR, at performance reviews about market standards on pay and compensation.
6. Work diligently to develop retention strategies that offer candidates feelings of ownership, community and an ability to communicate their thoughts and feelings with their managers, peers and subordinates.

If you do this you’ll fight the perception dilemma head on and see positive employee job satisfaction while also decreasing operational costs over all.

The bottom line is that you want to have new employees walking through your doors on his or her first day saying, “I’m excited to be here and I can’t wait to help this company in what ever way I can!”

Trust me, I’m a recruiter…;-)

Upgrade Your Talent During Economic Slumps

2008-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Kimball Kjar
Managing Principal Recruiter
Venator Ventures

It's been said that there's nothing good that comes from a down economy. We've seen in recent months trillions of dollars that have been lost to the downward spiral of an economy suffering from a credit crisis, a real estate recession and a war that is putting the government further in debt on a daily basis.

But as troubling times loom for many companies and their employees, there is a silver lining: upgrade your existing talent.

In the recruiting world we like to call an economic slump, an opportunity to upgrade your team. During such slumps talent is usually in over-abundance and "A players" are always keeping their eyes open in case their company, which might seem stable today, gives them the pink slip.

Smart and savvy managers will know the current strengths and weaknesses within their teams and they will know that they can usually, if not always, improve the employees on their teams.

Bottom line, economic slumps are always a "buyers market" for the best employees for those companies with the gumption to do so.

Let me give you an example. I'm an avid sports fan, sometimes much to my wife's chagrin. And last year basketball fans were able to witness one of the biggest "upgrade coups" in the history of the NBA.

Danny Ainge, GM for the Boston Celtics, saw two lowly franchises suffering from poor management and personnel selection and realized he could cash in on their lack of success. Using a bevy of negotiating tactics that included draft picks, current players and cash Ainge was able to upgrade his current team by adding former MVP Kevin Garnett and the sharp-shooting Ray Allen.

Both of the players' repsective teams--Seattle & Minnesota--were ailing from troubled owners and front-office management that together weren't offering championship opportunities to both Garnett and Allen.

For the faltering yet legendary franchise of Boston this was a dream come true. Three of the game's biggest players would join the Celtics and attempt to re-estalbish the franchise’s winning ways.

Well, if you follow the NBA or sports in general, we all know the story that followed. The Celtics went on to have one of the best records in the NBA last year and eventually beat the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals.

For Ainge and the Boston franchise, the trades for Garnett and Allen were a success. By letting go of existing talent and possible future talent through draft picks Ainge and the Celtics give us an example of what companies can look to achieve when things are tough: improve your company by upgrading the players on your team.

Seems simple to say, but it’s actually hard to do in practice. Here are some ideas of how a company can "upgrade their players" during tough economic times as pointed out by noted human resource consultant Dr. John Sullivan for ERE.net:

Begin by calculating the long-term economic consequences of keeping a below-average performer, compared to the increased performance level of an above-average performer (the difference is known as the performance differential). If you carefully calculate the dollar value of the performance differential between a top performer and the “targeted” below-average performer, you will often find that it’s two or three times greater, resulting in over $100,000 annual difference in output.
Next, multiply the costs of keeping a weak employee over the number of years that the bottom performer is likely to remain at your firm to get the total dollar value of swapping an employee.
Develop a formal plan and get the necessary buy-in from HR, performance management, and your recruiters. Be sure and run it by a few operating managers to identify any potential issues or concerns they might have.
Get the CFO’s buy in for the talent-swapping strategy.
If possible, get a business unit head to conduct a pilot and to “champion” the program among their colleagues.
Develop a process for identifying the key business units and the jobs within them where replacing below-average talent with top talent can make a significant impact upon the business. Talent swapping is not appropriate for every position.
Within those jobs, work with performance management and individual managers to identify the weak performers to target. Work with “legal” to see if there are any further actions that need to be taken before the employee is deemed eligible for a SWAP. Include a diversity component to ensure that diversity levels are maintained.
Define the minimum skill set (skills, capabilities, and experience) that the potential new hire must have to become “eligible” for a SWAP.
Develop a continuous sourcing strategy for the targeted positions. Also be aware that using traditional employee referrals to identify candidates might cause problems if employees realize that by making referrals, they are helping to replace an employee who might be a friend.
Begin building a “who’s-who” list of the names of the top talent in your industry who might be amenable to taking one of your targeted jobs.
Conduct “relationship recruiting” with these key individuals from the list. This might mean calling them occasionally, periodically sending them an e-mail newsletter, or inviting them to your company’s events.
When you become aware that one of your targeted candidates is now available, recruit them and offer them a position. If they accept your offer, you then notify the performance management function to begin the release process of the current poor performer. When appropriate, and especially in certain international locations, consider offering the released worker a financial severance package for signing a legal release.
Bring the new candidate on board.
Continue the process until you have substituted top hires for each of your targeted positions. Remember that you can also swap talent "internally” by moving top performers from low-impact to high-impact jobs.
Another option to consider is rather than waiting to release workers who are clearly bottom performers, instead shift them to a contract or contingency basis. This “temporary” status allows you to more easily release them if there is a need for a layoff, a performance termination, or a talent SWAP. If their performance improves, you can obviously shift them back to a more permanent status.
Run the metrics and then calculate the overall performance improvement and the dollar impact as a result of the improved performance of your new hires, compared to the released employee.

This is a long list, but one worth reviewing and thinking about. The thing you want to ask yourself first is 'are we in a position to make an aggressive play and improve our team.' If, by using the above criteria, it makes sense to upgrade your talent, then go ahead and pull the trigger.

Should you have any questions please feel free to consult any one us here at Venator Ventures.

Best of luck to you all and have a Happy Thanksgiving from Venator Ventures.

Resumes and Interviews

2008-11-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest tips from John Smith, a contributor for CNN.com, regarding resume presentation and interviews.

On your résumé

• It's never one-size-fits-all. "Don't try to sell what you are selling; sell what the employer is buying. Make sure your résumé fits the position and the organization where you are seeking employment," George says. "Hiring managers look at skill set, education, experience and where you got that experience. They want to make sure you are going to be able to do the job and fit into the corporate culture."

• Make it easy on the eyes. "Envision a hiring manager looking at a resume like a driver going by a billboard. Try to make it absorbable at high speeds," says Gwen Martin, managing partner of NumberWorks, a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based staffing firm. "Use bullet points and leave white space so it's easy on the eyes to read. Give the bird's eye view -- you can give the story behind the résumé in the interview."

Wendy Enelow, author, trainer and career consultant, strongly suggests using a typestyle other than Times New Roman. Stay conservative and use fonts like Georgia, Tahoma, Bookman or Verdana.

• Include success stories. Write down several career achievements of which you are most proud, suggests Joanne Meehl, author of "The Résumé Queen's Job Search Thesaurus and Career Guide."

"Choose one or two of these career success stories to go on the résumé, in very brief form, near the top of page one," she says. "These examples of what the candidate has done and can do, grab the employer's attention."

• Analyze keywords. Analyze several job postings in the field for which you are looking for a job, says Cheryl Palmer, certified executive career coach and résumé writer. "Develop a list of keywords from those postings that you incorporate into the résumé under a subheading entitled 'core competencies.'

Employers search their database of résumés by keyword, so having these terms on your résumé increases your chances of your résumé being selected for further review."

During the interview

• Identify why you are a good fit. "Often people peruse a job for no other reason than it is available," says Danielle Weinstock, author of "Can This Elephant Curtsy on Cue? Life Lessons Learned On A Film Set For Women In Business." "Until you can determine why you and the company are a good match, you can't sell yourself."

• Keep your responses job-related. Many job seekers start off the interview on the wrong note when they respond to the statement, "Tell me about yourself," Palmer says. "Job seekers give a personal response instead of a professional response.

Your response will say, 'Hire me,' if you tailor your responses to the position you are applying for. Review that job announcement the night before the interview and write out some bullet points for yourself to speak to the employer's needs."

Entire story can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/11/17/cb.what.says.hire.me/index.html

Additional Interview Tips

• Know before you go. Be familiar with the background of those you're meeting with. This will help to remove some of the nerves that accompany interviews while removing the mystique of the interviewer. Also this shows you've gone above and beyond in your preparation. Disclaimer: be careful not to appear "stockerish" as this will creep-out the interviewer, undermining your overall effectiveness.

• Always request a business card. At the end of the conversation with each interviewer, make sure to ask for their card. If they don't have one, make sure to get a contact email address. You should email each interviewer within 24 hours of your interview to thank them for the interview and to express your interest in the opportunity. This is also an appropriate time to mention points you failed to emphasize during the interview and to address any red flags. Most important is to be thorough while remaining CONCISE!

• Remember the SAR method. Hiring managers want concrete examples to illustrate your strengths. "Situation", "Action", "Result".

Ventor Ventures joins the blogosphere

2008-11-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with the launch of our revamped website, we've decided to enter the world of blogging to keep both candidates and companies informed on the latest developments in the Silicon Valley. Companies can look forward to reading up on the trends of the talent pool we're working with by way of occasional candidate profiles, while candidates can look to the blog to learn about emerging technologies we're focusing on and some of our hottest, most urgent searches.

Maybe more enticing will be our occasional story or anecdote to illustrate some of the "do's" and "do not's" while engaging in you own career search. Also, feel free to share your own stories in the comment section under each post. We look forward to maintaining an added level of communication in this dynamic and competitive market.

-Justen Nadauld
President, Venator Ventures